Copyright independent
Xabi Alonso avoided stoking the fire when pressed on Lamine Yamal’s suggestions that Real Madrid "cheat" and "complain" in a televised interview on Friday. Alonso declined to comment on the jibe, instead directing his focus to Sunday's El Clasico at the Bernabeu, emphasising the importance of the match for his LaLiga leaders who have 24 points, two ahead of Barcelona in second. Alonso faced repeated questions from reporters regarding Yamal's remarks, made during a Kings League appearance alongside former Barca defender Gerard Pique. The 18-year-old forward compared Real to Porcinos, a Kings League team, stating: "Of course! Yes, they cheat, they complain." The comments, which Pique supported, stirred the pot in the build-up to Sunday’s hotly-anticipated clash, but Alonso declined to get involved in the drama. “It’s an important match - important enough,” he said. "It has many ingredients for us to play well, for us to enjoy it. And that’s what excites us the most, the biggest incentive for tomorrow." Alonso reiterated his stance when pressed further, adding: “I’m not going to get into that. There have been a lot of statements from people in Barcelona and I can't comment on them all. “For us, the important thing is the pitch, what happens on the pitch. Where we’ve come from and what lies ahead. That's what concerns me most and what we’ve been working on." Visibly irritated when the question came up a third time, Alonso said: "Are we going back to that? What I have in my head is that it's going to be an intense and competitive match. "We have to be prepared because there will be moments for everything. The players have to have the necessary adrenaline. I’m not thinking about other consequences." Alonso is determined to use the first Clasico of the season as a chance for Real Madrid to reclaim their dominance in big matches, a quality that has been questioned following heavy defeats by Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals and Atletico Madrid in LaLiga earlier in the campaign. Last season, Barcelona inflicted further damage on their arch-rivals, beating Real four consecutive times across three competitions, including a 4-0 thrashing at the Bernabeu and a 5-2 victory in the Super Cup final. "The match has a special flavour and is the most important one right now," Alonso said when asked about the pressure to perform. "There will be similar situations, but it is completely different (from last season). We want to maximise our strengths. "An El Clasico is special. The first one in this project. We need the stadium to have the energy of big matches, to push us forward. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we believe we are in good shape, both mentally and in terms of our football."
